US3012424A

US3012424A - Lock for a knitting machine

Info

Publication number: US3012424A
Application number: US791894A
Authority: US
Inventors: Wullimann Max
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1958-02-13
Filing date: 1959-02-09
Publication date: 1961-12-12
Anticipated expiration: 1978-12-12
Also published as: DE1143961B; AT213534B; FR1220282A

Description

Dec. 12, 1961 M. WULLIMANN 3,012,424

LOOK FOR A KNITTING MACHINE Filed Feb. 9, 1959 INVE NTOR Max WuIhmann BY ATTORNEYS United States Patent Ofifice 3,012,424 Patented Dec. 12, 1961 3,012,424 LOCK FOR A KNITTING MACHINE Max Wullimann, Selzach, Solothurn, Switzerland Filed Feb. 9, 1959, Ser. No. 791,894 Claims priority, application Switzerland Feb. 13, 1958 18 Claims. (Cl. 6677) This invention relates to a lock for a knitting machine, particularly a hand frame of the type having two needle beds, the lock comprising adjustable means for varying the type of knitting produced on the hand frame, such as plain knitting, circular knitting for producing seamless tubular stock, or for obtaining special ornamental or fancy stitches such as held stitches, and for varying the size of the loops.

In prior constructions of knitting machines a relatively high number of individual actuating members such as knobs or handles were required for controlling all the adjusting movements necessary for changing the knitting type and the size of the loops. In the most modern knitting machines each lock was still provided with at least four adjusting knobs or handles so that in the general case eight different manipulations had to be carried out when changing rom one adjustment of the machine to another. "ince such hand frames are used by persons having little knowledge of the construction of the apparatus and of textile arts in general, it was very difiicult to sufiiciently explain the different possibilities of the machine to such persons and therefore they never became familiar with the machines. Therefore, simple and cheap machines having less adjusting possibilities were preferred.

It is the first object of this invention to simplify the adjusting mechanism and operating means of knitting machines to such a degree that handling of such machines becomes as easy as handling of any of the simplest machines already known and that the price of the machine is reduced in a manner allowing a great number of persons to buy such a machine. This is rendered possible, in accordance with this invention, by the use of a lock of the type having a pair of wing cams operative alternatively for lifting and lowering the needles, such wing cams being adjustable for choosing different types of knitting operation and varying sizes of the loops, and this lock being characterized by control means for the said wing cams, centralized in one place, for adjusting the loop size and for adjusting the knitting type respectively. One single actuating knob may be subdivided into two portions, this knob constituting the control means centralized in one place, from where the wing cams may be adjusted for diderent operation as regards loop size and knitting type. V

The attached drawing illustrates, by way of example, one embodiment of the invention. In the drawing:

FIG. 1 is a top view of the lock plate and of a portion of the needle bed;

FIG. 2 is a bottom view of the lock plate;

FIG. 3 is a section on the line Ill-J11 in FIG. 2; and

FIGS. 4 to 6 schematically illustrate different characteristic positions of the wing cams for plain knitting, circular knitting for producing seamlesst'ubular stock and knitting with one type of ornamental or fancy stitches respectively.

The embodiment shown has an adjustingknob assembly on top of its lock plate 1, this knob assembly comprising an upper portion 2a and a lower portion 2b.' The lower knob 2b serves for adjusting the loop size, the latter being indicated in values 1": to 10 on a scale 3 of the lock plate 1 By means of the upper knob 2a" a 'programelement comprising a disc 13 may be adjusted for determining the type of knitting operation in a man'- ner explained later on, the type of knitting operation being indicated on a scale 4 of the lock plate.

A plate-shaped slide 5 is mounted in contacting relation with the inner surface of the lock plate 1, this slide being adapted to be shifted in its own plane in a direction transversely to the longitudinal axis of the lock, that is transversely to the moving direction of the lock. The slide 5 is guided by means of pins 6 riveted into the lock plate 1. The slide has

pivot pins

7 and 8 and a substantially circular central opening 9 having a control cam 10 projecting from the rim of the opening. A cam disc 11 is rotatably mounted in the opening 9, this cam disc being fixed on a hollow shaft carrying the lower knob 2b. Two springs 12 continuously tend to shift the slide 5 upwards as seen in FIG. 2 thereby maintaining the control cam 10 in engagement with the cam disc 11. By rotation of the cam disc 11 the slide 5 may be adjusted to one of ten distinct positions, such positions being determined by the angular position of the cam disc 11 and of the adjusting-knob 2b, the latter having a spring loaded rest device 35 (FIG. 3) maintaining the cam disc 11 and knob 2b in one of ten distinct angular positions.

The program disc 13 is superposed to the slide 5, the shaft of this program disc 13 passing through the hollow shaft of the cam disc 11 and carrying knob 2a. The program disc 13 has three stop lugs 14 equally distributed along its periphery and a further stop lug 15 on its face. All these

stop lugs

14 and 15 are bent in a manner to project from the plane of disc 13. The program disc 13 has five distinct rest positions determined by engagement of a rest pin or rivet 2S futed on a leaf spring 24 with holes 26 of the disc 13, such rest positions corresponding to the five positions of scale indicating different types of knitting operation.

Symmetrical wing cams 16 are rotatably mounted on the pivot pins 7 of the slide 5, such wing cams 16 being able to pivot inwardly towards each other and towards the program disc 13'. Each of the wing cams 16 is generally U-shaped or angle-shaped and has a stop lug 17 (FIG. 2 and 3) bent towards the program disc 13 and adapted to cooperate with

stop lugs

14 and 15. In the rest condition of the knitting machine the wing cams 16 are maintained in contact with stop lugs 19 of the slide 5 by means of springs 18. Two auxiliary wing cams 20 are rotatably mounted on the pivot pins 8 and are maintained in contact with a lower rod 21 by means of springs 18, such springs being arranged between wing cams 16 and 2t). Rod 21 is fixed on the slide 5. An upper stationary rod 22 fixed on the lock plate 1, carries an auxiliary cam 23 for lowering the needles. The faces seen in FIG. 2 of

rods

21 and 22, of the auxiliary cam 23 and of the

wing cams

16 and 20 are in a common plane, butts 27 of the needles 28 of the knitting machine projecting beyond this plane. Consequently the needles are actuated by the side surfaces of the above mentioned

elements

16 and 20 to 23 when the lock is shifted along the needle bed of the machine. Further, a substantially triangular needle guiding cam 23 is mounted in practically the same plane, this guiding cam 29 having symmetrical beveled side surfaces 30. The needle guiding cam 29 is mounted on a free arm of leaf spring 24 so that it is adopted for displacement transversely to the plane of the needle bed. Stationary cams 31 for lifting the needles are fixed on the lower rod 21, and further stationary cams 32 for lowering the needles are fixed on the plate 5. A pair of symmetria cal cams 32 is provided, but the righthand cam has only been shown in FIG. 2 of the drawings. All the wing cams and stationary cams with the exception of cam 23 are mounted on the vertically shiftable slide 5. Resilient leaf springs or tongues 33 are attached to the outer extremities of the stationary cams 32, the needle butts being moved 7 to the upper or lower side of such tongues when engaged by the free ends of such tongues. It was found that a rigid edge would not be able to properly displace a needle to the one or other side of a cam when this edge engages the needle butts exactly centrally. However, a resilient tongue as shown at 33 will slightly be bent to the one or other side under the pressure of needle butts abuting against it during displacement of the lock through the needle bed, whereupon the needle is moved to the one or other side, but jamming of the lock will not occur. The lock is slidably mounted by means of flanges engaging grooves of the needle bed 34.

The knitting operation per se, that is the displacement and cooperation of the needles with each other and with the yarn fed to them is well known in the art and is not a subject of this invention. Similarly the particular operation of a twin-bed knitting machine is not an object of this invention and will not be described. This invention only relates to the particular structure of the lock and the manner in which the specific movements of the needles well known in the art for producing different types of stitches and knitting products are controlled by this look.

When thelock is shifted to the right the needles will pass through the lock from the right to the left as indicated by the arrow in FIG. 4. Assuming that the program disc has been adjusted to N, that is normal or plain knitting, as shown in FIGS. 1 to A, the butts 27 of the needles will be lifted by the righthand wing cam 20 to such a level that they-will engage the righthand wing cam 16 above its substantially horizontal lower lug (no reference in the drawing). Since the needles cannot be displaced without overcoming a minimum friction thereof in the needle bed, the righthand wing cam 16 is displaced by the pressure of the needles until its stop lug 17 abuts against the righthand outer stop lug 14 of the program disc 13, this wing cam being thereby maintained in its operating position as shown in FIG. 4. The needles are lifted when sliding along the righthand wing cam 16 and, after having left the upper end of the wing cam 16 they will abut against the auxiliary cam 23 by which they are lowered into a position wherein the yarn is fed into the needles. The needles are maintained in this position until the lefthand wing cam 16 engages them, whereafter the needles sliding on this lefthand wing cam 16 are lowered to a position depending on the position to which the slide 5 carrying the wing cams has been adjusted. Since the needle position determined by the stationary cam 23 and wherein the yarn is fed to the needles, is independent from the position of the slide 5, but the needles are retracted from this position more or less in accordance with the vertical adjustment of the slide 5 and the wing earns 16 mounted thereon, the mesh size may be adjusted within predetermined limits by vertical adjustment of the slide 5 in the manner set out above. On further displacement of the lock relatively to the needles the latter will engage the lefthand wing cam 24 which is lifted by the needles into its ineffective position as shown in FIG. 4 and does not further displace the needles. The operation is symmetrically opposite when the lock is shifted back from the right to the left, because both win g cams 16 are equally maintained in their operating position by the outer stop lugs 14 of the program disc 13;

When the adjusting knob 2a is displaced to position R, that is to round or circular knitting, the program disc 13 is turned to the position shown in FIG. 5. The needles running through the lock in the direction indicated by an arrow (FIG. 5) :are first lifted by the right hand wing cam 20 and on further relative displacement to the left the so lifted needles will engage the righthand wing cam 16. Since, in the position shown in FIG. 5, no stop lug 14 of the disc 13 is kept in the path of the stop lug 17 of the righthand wing cam 16, the latter will be pivoted to its lowered inoperative position shown in FIG. 5. Therefore, the needles are not lifted and will normally pass to the lefthand wing cam 16 below the auxiliary earns 23 and 29 without knitting, whereafter they are shifted to their lower rest position by the lefthand wing cam 16. When the last needles are sliding off the upper free end of the righthand wing cam 16 the latter tends to rock upwards under the action of spring 18 anchored to it, due to the reduced biasing pressure of the needles. In this moment it is possible that at least one needle may be lifted by. the already rising wing cam 16 to an undesired high level. Usually such needles are lowered again to the desired level by the lower edges of the cam 29. It is possible that needles lifted to the level of the beveled side surfaces 30 of cam 29 will not be lowered by this cam but will slide transversely over it pressing it downwards.

When the lock is again shifted to the left the same operations will occur as above set out for normal or plain knitting position, that is, the needles will be lifted to knitting position by the lefthand'wing cam 16 which is supported by the center stop lug 14 of the program disc 13. With the use of two similar simultaneously operative locks in a knitting machine having two needle beds a seamless tubular knitting product is obtained in a manner well known in the art byalternative operation of one of both locks during alternative forward and backward motion of the locks. This invention is'not concerned with the generally known operation of double-bed knitting machines for producing seamless tubular stock but only with the particular mechanism allowing adjustment of the lock cams actuating the needles. It is possible to knit tubular stock round in clockwise or anticlockwise direction by shifting the program disc 13 from its normal position to the position shown in FIG. 4 or to the symmetrically opposite position and vice versa for the other lock not shown in the drawing. This is also seen on scale 4 where righthand and lefthand positions are provided indicated R for knitting tubular articles. 7 V

FIG. 6 illustrates the position of the lock portions when disposed in position P for knitting a particular pattern comprising held stitches. When the program disc 13 is turned to the position of FIG. 6 one of the cam lugs 14 is in a position for supporting the stop lug 17 of the righthand wing cam 16. The lefthand wing cam 16 will pivot downwardly when engaged by the needles coming from the left because no stop lug 14 is in a position to support the stop 17 of this wing cam. However,

the stop 17 of the lefthand wing cam will abut against the stop lug 15 of the program disc 13 and will be supported by this stop lug in an intermediate position as shown in FIG. 6, for which the needles are lifted by the lefthand wing cam 16 to a level at which the yarn is fed into the needles but the meshes held on such needles are not knitted off during this stroke of the lock. This is the condition well known per se to be fulfilled for producing a pattern comprising held stitches and called patent knitting in Switzerland. The needles are passing above the cam 29 to the righthand wing cam 16 by which they are lowered to their rest position. When all the needles have left the lefthand wing cam 16 the latter is rocked upwards to its stop lug 19 and during the next return stroke of the lock the needles are lifted by the righthand wing cam 16 to normal knitting position, so that a normal knitting operation will take place as explained above with reference to FIG. 4 whereby the held stitches of the pattern are formed. When one of both locks is adjusted to the position shown in FIG. 6 whereas the other lock remains in norma -position as shown in FIG. 4, a first kind of pattern will be produced, whereas another pattern comprising held stitches isproduced when both locks are adjusted to the position of FIG. 6. Again, the particular manner in which the needles are displaced for producing held stitches with the one or both locks is well known in the art and this invention only relates to the novel arrangement of the cams producing the displacement of the needles and to the adjusting mechanism for. such cams.

A further advantage of this invention consists in the provision of a zero-position or idle position (indicated on scale 4), this position being preferably used when knitting with yarns of different colour. For this zeroposition the program disc 13 is in a position symmetrically opposite to the one shown in FIG. 6, for which position none of the wing cams 16 will be supported by any of the stop lugs 14 or 15 of disc 13 and therefore these wing cams are both able to pivot to the fully inoperative lowered position shown for the righthand wing cam in FIG. 5. The machine will not effect any knitting operation and the locks may be displaced as desired for adjusting them to a desired start position.

It is a particularly important feature of this invention that the wing cams 16 are mounted on the vertically displaceable slide serving for preselecting the mesh size, so that such wing cams are always displaced with the slide. 5. This feature substantially simplifies the construction of the lock but requires a design of the stop lugs 14 and and the stop lugs 17 that proper cooperation there f is not affected by the displacement of the slide 5 a wing cams 16 respectively.

Of course the program disc 13 may have another suitable form and instead of

lugs

14 and 15 pins or other projecting elements may be used. On the other hand the disc may be completely flat and recesses or indentations may be worked into this flat disc wherever the wing cams 16 should not be supported by the disc. In this case the disc 13 may be produced in an absolutely flat state by stamping.

It is a particular object of the invention to allow rapid knitting without causing jamming or blocking or defects or faults in the knitted product, this being possible due to the dilferent

auxiliary cams

23, 29 and 32, such cams preventing the needles from being shifted beyond the normal positions by impacts and sudden accelerations. As an example the

auxiliary cams

31 and 32 will guide :the needles closely along the

wing cams

16 and 20. Further, the upper edge of the guiding cam 29 prevents needles from being excessively thrown downwards by the auxiliary cam 23.

What I claim is:

1. A lock for a knitting machine of the type having a machine bed and needles adapted for upward and downward displacement in the machine bed and which is displaceable in a forward and a return stroke along the machine bed in a direction substantially perpendicular to the displacement of the needles, comprising operating means adapted for cooperation with the needles for upward and downward displacement of the needles when the lock is displaced along the machine bed, a number of needle-lowering operating positions for the operating means determining the magnitude of the downward displacement of the needles and first control means for common adjustment of the needle-lowering operating positions, operable needle-lifting positions and an inoperable position for the operating means, second control means for selectively maintaining the operating means in one of the operable needle-lifting positions and for lifting the needles in accordance with the one omrable needle-lifting position during the forward and return strokes of the lock, and first and second actuating means associated with the first and second control means respectively such first and second actuating means being centralized in a common place.

2. A lock according to claim 1, wherein said actuating means comprise control knobs mounted on concentric shafts each connected to one of said first and second control means.

3. A lock for a hand knitting machine of the type having a machine bed and needles adapted for displacement in the said machine bed and the lock being adapted for displacement in a forward and a return stroke along the said machine bed, the lock comprising a pair of wing cams, each of the said wing cams being adapted for alternative operation during the said forward and return strokes of the look as a lifting and lowering cam respectively for lifting and lowering the said needles, first control means for common adjustment of the said wing cams in a direction substantially perpendicular to the displacing direction of the lock along the machine bed and substantially parallel to the displacing direction of the needles, and second control means associated with the said wing cams for selectively maintaining such wing cams in an operative position as a needle-lifting cam during the said forward and return strokes of the lock, first and second actuating means associated with the said first and second control means respectively, such first and second actuating means being centralized in a common place.

4. A look according to claim 3, the said second control means comprising a rotatably mounted program element having stop means for supporting the said wing cams in their said operative position as a needle-lifting cam.

5. A lock according to claim 4, the said wing cams being mounted in a manner allowing rocking of both wing cams towards said program element.

6. A look according to claim 4, the said program element comprising a disc having stop lugs projecting from one face thereof, and the said wing cams having stop means adapted for cooperation with the said stop lugs.

7. A lock according to claim 6, comprising first, second third stop lugs regularly spaced from each other along the periphery of the said disc, these stop lugs supporting the said wing cams in a first operative position as a needle lifting cam, and a fourth stop lug Within the said face of the disc adapted for supporting one of the said wing cams in a second operative position as a needle lifting cam.

8. A lock according to claim 7, comprising two wing cams symmetrically disposed relatively to the said disc, a first control position of the said disc wherein the said first and third stop lugs thereof are symmetrically located relatively to the said wing cams and are operable for supporting such wing cams, a second and third control position of the said disc wherein the said second stop lug is operative for supporting the one of the said wing cam respectively, and a fourth control position of the said disc wherein the said first stop lug is operative for supporting one wing cam whereas the said fourth stop lug is operative for supporting the other of said wing cams.

9. A lock according to claim 8, the said wing cams having upper and lower ends and being mounted on pivot pins with their said lower ends, spring means normally urging said wing cams to a rest position wherein they are inclined with their upper displacea'ble ends towards said disc is disposed between the wing cams.

10. A lock according to claim 3, comprising a common plate-shaped carrier for the said wing cams, the said carrier being displaceable in a direction substantially transversely to the direction wherein the said lock is displaceable along the machine bed, an opening in the said carrier, an inward projection on the rim of this opening, the said first control means having a control cam rotatable in the opening and operatively engaging the said projection, the said plate-shaped carrier being adapted for displacement upon rotation of the said control earn.

11. A lock according to claim 3, having outer auxiliary cams for lowering the needles, leaf springs being provided at the outer extremities of such auxiliary cams for properly directing needles running against them to the respective side of the auxiliary cam.

12. A lock according to claim 3, of the type having an auxiliary cam for lowering the needles substantially in the middle of the lock for shifting the needles into a position for feeding the yarn to the needles, a further needleguiding cam being arranged below the said auxiliary cam for limiting the lowering action of this auxiliary cam.

13. A lock according to claim 12, the said needleguiding cam having portions adapted for lowering needles.

14. A lock according to claim 12, the said needleguiding cam being resiliently suspended and adapted for resilient lateral displacement in a direction substantially perpendicular to a plane comprising the needles.

15. A look for a knitting machine, particularly a hand frame of the type having a machine bed and needles adapted to be operated by the lock, the lock being adapted for displacement in a forward and return stroke along the said machine bed and comprising a pair of Wing cams, each of the said wing earns being operative alternatively during the said forward and return strokes of the lock as a lifting and lowering cam respectively for lifting and lowering the said needles with the size of the needle lifting stroke and the kind of stitches respectively depending upon the position of the wing cam operable as a needle lifting cam and the size of the needle lowering stroke and the loop size respectively depending on the position of the wing cam operable as a needle lowering cam, control means for determining the position of the wing cams during the said forward and return strokes of the lock,

and actuating means for adjusting the said control means determining the wing-cam positions, the said actuating means for each wing earn being centralized in a common place. 5 V

16. A lock fora knittingmachine of the type having a machine bed and needles adapted for upward and downward displacement in the machine bed and which is displaceable ina forward and a return stroke along the machine bed in a direction substantially perpendicular to the displacement of the needles, comprising operating means cooperable with the needles for upwardly and downwardly displacing the needles when the lock is dis placed along the machine bed, first control means for selectively moving said operating means to one of a number of needle lowering, needle raising and inoperable positions determining the path of movement of the needles, and second control means for selective and common adjustment of the operating means for determining the magnitude of needle displacement during the said forward and return strokes of the lock, and first and second actuating means associated with the said first and second control means respectively, such first and second actuating means being centralized in a common place.

17. A lock for a knitting machine according to claim 16, wherein said operating means includes a pair of wing cams, each of which is operative alternatively during the forward and return strokes of the lock as a lifting and lowering cam respectively for lifting and lowering the needles, and the magnitude of needle lifting and the kind of stitches respectively depending upon the position of the Wing cam operable as a needle lifting cam While the magnitude of needle lowering and the loop size respectively, depending on the position of the wing cam operable as a needle lowering cam, said control means determining the position of the wing cams during the forward and return strokes of the lock. 2

18. A lock for a knitting machine according to claim 16, wherein said operating means includes a pair of wing cams, each of which is alternatively operable during the forward and return strokes of the lock as a lifting and lowering cam respectively for lifting and lowering the needles, said second control means commonly adjusting said wing cams in a direction substantially perpendicular to the displacing direction of the lock along the machine bed and substantially parallel'to the displacing direction of the needles, said first control means selectively maintaining said wing cams in an operative position as a needle-lifting cam during the for-ward and return strokes of the lock.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES, PATENTS 2,150,730 Schuessler Mar; 14, 1939 2,681,553 Chiti June 22, 1954 2,830,446 Opawa Apr. 15, 1958 2,958,214 Bram Nov. 1, 1960 FOREIGN PATENTS 246,631 Italy Apr. 1, 1926